Willow
by Aelan Greenleaf
Summary: Will Turner has not seen his wife Elizabeth in ten years, not since they separated. Now, he is summoned by her father to partake in a quest to find something very precious to him... Elizabeth, and her daughter, Willow... THE LAST CHAPTER!
1. Default Chapter

Introduction

The fresh morning air, damp with the sea, floated over the deck of the ship and was breathed in by a refreshed Will Turner. He closed his eyes and let the breeze float over him, and he felt comforted.

Ten years he had been a pirate, living his life on the sea. But it had also been ten years since his Elizabeth had left, and he had been left alone.

He sighed, and turned back to the wheel of the ship. Jack was still asleep like normal, as last night they had plundered a village in Bermuda. Most of the men were still below deck, trying to sleep off hangovers and enjoy their new found possessions. 

Will never really partook in the ravaging of villages and such. It was what a real pirate would do, he supposed, but he never derived enjoyment of such things. If a battle called for his attention, he would certainly fight, and fight hard. But other pirate activities were not those that Will quite believed in.

He gazed out to sea, and to his surprise, spotted a ship on the far horizon. He quickly grabbed his small telescope and focused onto the ship. Tall flags showing the colours of the British Navy waved in the wind.

Quickly Will ran down from the helm and threw open the doors to the hold. "Navy ship on the horizon! All hands on deck!"

Groans followed Will's order, and the men soon emerged from the hold, taking their various positions on the Black Pearl. He left Anamarie at the helm, and went to the Captain's quarters to rouse Jack.

The pirate captain lay sprawled out on his bed, one hand clutching a gold crown, the other a near-empty bottle of rum.

"Jack. Wake up." called Will to his friend, shaking the older man's shoulder slightly.

Nothing.

Will sighed. He did _not_ feel like getting the water this morning. "Jack!" he said again, louder this time.

Again nothing.

Damn. //Bucket it is.// thought Will.

He soon returned with his bucket, filled with cold sea water, and proceeded to pour over his friend's head. Jack woke up sputtering, jumping up immediately. Unfortunately for him, the action was performed too quickly after waking up, and his legs collapsed, leaving the man soaked and on the floor.

"Damnit Will! Ya coulda just shaken me!"

"I did." replied Will smugly, and with a smile. "It's not my fault that you didn't wake up, Jack."

The other man looked up from the ground and scowled. "That's _Captain _Jack Sparrow to you, matey. Now where did I put my hat..."

Will held it up in one of his hands and smiled. "Get up, Jack."

The half-sober captain grumbled and got up grudgingly, grabbing his tri-cornered hat from his friend's hand.

He stepped out of his quarters, and noticed his crew all at their stations. He paused in mid-step. "What's going on?"

Will came up behind him, and made the captain jump when he began to speak. "A navy ship, off of the starboard side."

"Which one?" asked Jack.

"A new one. I've never seen it before, so it must be on it's maiden voyage, coming over from England." replied his first mate.

"Hmm." was Jack's only response.

He took the helm over from Anamarie, with a smile and a "Good Mornin' lass.". She scowled at him, and stepped down to the main deck. No, their relationship certainly hadn't improved over the years, remarked Will with a grin.

The British ship had grown closer now, and Captain Sparrow's men began to prepare themselves for a fight. The Black Pearl had been challenged many times in the last ten years, and never that they lost a battle.

There was activity on the Naval boat as well, and while Will watched, they did something very curious. A white flag was pulled out and placed on the flagpost. It was then slowly risen until it flew along side the British flag.

"Ha!" laughed Jack. "Has it become that the Navy is so afraid of us that they do not dare to fight us anymore?"

"I don't think so, Jack." replied Will.

"Oh. Well, I'll drink to that anyways." said Jack pulling out a flask of rum. He took a long swallow of it, then proceeded to address the crew.

"The British ship is surrendering!"

Cheers of joy came from the crew as they stood at their stations. With some of them still half drunk (like their captain), they felt in no condition to fight a battle at the moment. 

As soon as it drew near enough, a British officer shouted across to the Black Pearl. "We wish to speak with Will Turner!" he yelled.

//Me?// questioned Will in his mind. 

Jack looked across to him. "What did they say?"

"They want to talk to me."

"Are you going to?"

Will ran it over in his mind for moment, pondering what was the worst they could do to them. That in mind, he realized that they must have a pretty good reason to want to only speak to a pirate, and not capture him.

Then again, they could do that _after_ they talked to him.

He turned his attention back to Jack. "I guess so."

Jack gave him a look that said plainly _Are you insane?_, but Will shrugged it off and commanded that his crew lay a plank over to the other ship. They too, gave him the same look, but he ignored them and crossed over.

Two solemn looking officers led him over to the captain's quarters on the main deck, and showed him in. They then turned and left, leaving Will with two men that eerily looked like Commodore Norrington and Governor Weatherby Swann...


	2. Chapter 2

With surprise, Will came to recognize that these two were really were Commodore Norrington and Governor Swann. They had changed in the past ten years; Commodore Norrington had a few crease lines across his face, making Will guess his age at about late thirties or early forties, but it was hard to tell with the wig upon his head.

Governor Swann, however, seemed to have aged twenty years in the last ten. It wasn't exactly a physical change that Will perceived, but more of an emotional change. Governor Swann just seemed old, with a slumped posture and sorrow in his eyes.

Will himself was not very old. Having been twenty-one when he had married Elizabeth, he was only thirty-two now. 

Commodore Norrington regarded Will with a weary eye. "Ah, Mr. Turner. I am surprised that you would risk such a meeting on a British ship."

"I'm just full of surprises, aren't I now?" responded Will.

"Indeed."

A moment of silence passed, an uncomfortable moment. Will cleared his throat, and asked the question that had been burning at him since he had been asked to come aboard. 

"Why am I here?"

Governor Swann looked up then, from his chair in the far corner of the room. The poor man looked so lost, so heart-broken that Will wondered what had happened.

Then it hit him. //Elizabeth.//

"Is it Elizabeth?" he asked out loud, worry creeping in his voice at the subject of his estranged wife.

"Yes." responded the commodore. "Elizabeth has been kidnapped."

Will closed his eyes. //No.// 

"By whom?" he asked, after he had absorbed this information.

"We don't know." said Governor Swann, rising from his chair and speaking for the first time. "But we infer that it was pirates."

Bitterness crept into Will's voice as he spoke. "So you thought it was us? Listen here, there are many more pirates than just-"

"No, we don't think it was you." interrupted Norrington. "We came here to ask if you would help us find her."

Will looked over at him suspiciously. "And why would you think that I would know how to find her?"

"Because you helped us find her twelve years ago. Because she was your wife. Take your pick." replied the commodore coldly.

Will sighed. "I don't know..." he said out loud. //I don't know, because I think that if I ever saw her again, it would break my heart.// he thought in pain. For the truth was that Will Turner still loved Elizabeth Swann, and the thought of seeing the woman who had broken his heart was like a stab to the gut.

Elizabeth's father spoke up hastily, wanting to keep Will in the room. "There's another reason too, that you should help us."

Commodore Norrington became strangely quiet, and looked almost... sad. "What is it?" asked Will, slightly suspicious.

"My granddaughter was kidnapped too."

Will scoffed. "Oh, I see. And this would be your daughter, Norrington, that I am going to help you rescue?"

A look of fury came over Norrington's face, and Will wondered what it was that he had said to set him off.

"Listen, you pirate. I would like nothing more than to haul you over to the gallows at Port Royal, but I can't. Because, sadly, I need your help. Elizabeth and Willow are out there, and we need to find them."

"Wi-Willow?" Will sputtered, finding the resemblance to his name to be more than just a coincidence.

"Oh yes," started Norrington coldly, "It seems that Willow isn't _my_ daughter, she's yours. Just another reason why you should help us."

Will sat down in a nearby chair, numb. His daughter? He didn't have a daughter! 

But now, as he thought about it, it all started to fall together. How he had explained to Elizabeth, over and over, about his longing to return to the sea. How, in those last few days they had been together, she had started to act quite strange around him.

And now, as he thought about it, he pondered... could she still love him? Was it love that made her leave him?

He closed his eyes, and tried to absorb this information. He wondered what she looked like, what _Willow _looked like. Did she look like him, or hopefully, like her mother?

Governor Swann's soft voice broke into Will's thoughts. "So will you help us?" he asked.

He nodded, still wondering about his daughter. "Yes. I will help you."


	3. Chapter 3

"C'mon, lassie, jus' a little kiss..."

Elizabeth fought against her arm restraints, fighting to get away from that awful fish breath, grimy face and leery eyes. Unfortunately for her, she was tied upon the wall, and had no other option than to flail her head around, trying to escape the filthy pirate.

He stopped for a moment and concentrated on her face, her body. He looked lustfully at her. "I won't bite, me pretty lass." he remarked with a smirk.

"Yeah, but I will." muttered Elizabeth as she brought up her left, and unbound, foot and propelled it in the man's solar plexus.

The air rushed out of him in a big _whomph_, and he collapsed to the ground, withering in pain for a moment. His companion, a scraggly old man with long, stringy hair, began to cackle at his friend's misfortune. Elizabeth managed a grin herself.

Pulling himself up off the ground, the pirate growled at his friend: "It's not funny, ye fool."

The old man stopped chuckling, but couldn't suppress the grin on his face.

The pirate then turned to Elizabeth. "You'll pay for that, ye whore." he spat out, bringing up his right hand. She braced herself for the blow, but she couldn't suppress the tears when her left eye began to swell and her cheek started to sting.

He then brought up his left hand to perform the same action, but Elizabeth was saved when she heard the hold's doors open and a voice call down.

"Muggs! Jeremiah! The Cap'n wants to see yas!"

The pirate named Muggs sent her one last menacing look, just before he turned and climbed out of the hold onto the main deck, Jeremiah right behind him.

It wasn't until she heard the hold doors close that she realized that she had been holding back her tears. Collapsing to the ground, hands held above her, the young woman began to weep. From a nearby cell, a worried young girl looked on.

"Mama?" she asked with concern, watching as her mother wept.

Elizabeth tried to compose herself before turning to her daughter. "I'm alright, Willow." she said, flashing a half-hearted smile to the girl. "It stings, that's all."

Not entirely convinced, but knowing that she wouldn't get a better answer, Willow changed the subject. "Are we gonna escape from here, Mama?"

Her mother looked thoughtful for a moment, looking up towards the roof and imagining the sea air outside. "Of course, dear. James and your grandfather probably have the entire fleet of the British Navy looking out for us now."

"Really?" responded Willow, wonder in her young voice.

Elizabeth looked over at her. "Really."

As her daughter contemplated exactly how large the British Naval Force was, Elizabeth studied her daughter for what seemed to be the first time. A young girl of nine, Elizabeth could already tell that she would be a beautiful lady when she grew up. Long, light brown hair like her mother's, but deep hazel eyes like her father's were Willow's distinguishing features. Her mother had also noted that the girl had her father's quiet personality, but also his daring courage. Willow Jaclyn Swann was truly the combination of both her parents finest qualities.

Elizabeth closed her eyes, grateful for the few moments she had without those pirate beasts. As a child, she had had a great curiosity for pirates, but, as of now, she had had enough pirate encounters to sustain her for the rest of her life.

She and her daughter had been captured by Spanish slave traders two weeks ago when they had been strolling down a lovely beach in Port Royal. She now speculated that after a short stop in Tortuga, they would be heading off to Aruba, the centre for slave trading in the Caribbean.

She stifled a sob as she thought about what would happen to them after that. She had tried to comfort her daughter by telling her that Elizabeth's father and James Norrington would come after them, but it was highly probable that they would be too late. By the time that they tracked down the ship that they were on, Elizabeth and Willow would have already been sold into slavery, condemned to serve out their lives as someone's else's labour.

//If only Jack could save us.// she thought wryly, remembering the man who had, along with Will, rescued her eleven years ago from Barbossa and his cursed crew. Elizabeth still remembering being trapped on that island with the infamous captain, and drinking that rum.

With a loud clank, Elizabeth was abruptly yanked from her memories by the sound of the hold doors being thrown open. Three men climbed door, coming to a stop in front of her. One was Muggs, but the other two she didn't quite recognize...

The middle man stepped forwards, and Elizabeth could sense something familiar about this man... but it was something that she just couldn't pinpoint...

"Ah... So this must be the lovely Elizabeth Swann." the pirate commented, leaning forwards in a mock bow. "And how have our accommodations been so far, my dear?"

"Absolutely wonderful." she remarked sarcastically, spitting out the last word.

He smiled. "We have some personality, I see. Good. I hate those brainless whores that are so common in Tortuga."

The pirate then directed his attention over to Willow. "And this must be young Willow Swann. Or is it Turner? She looks like her father, don't you think?"

Elizabeth was puzzled. How did this man know Will? And why did he seem so familiar?

"Who are you?" she asked out loud, trying to place him in her memory.

He leaned in close, and smiled a wicked smile. "Why, I am your Captain, Johnathon Barbossa. I believe you knew my father, didn't you, my pretty lass."

She looked up at him in shock, and saw the resemblance in this man's face to the man who had captured her eleven years ago...

*A/N: Thanks for all the nice reviews, everyone!

Personally, I love Elizabeth's fiery spirit, and have tried to incorporate that into this story. Hopefully I have done that, because I'd hate to turn her into a meek little thing…

Anywho, that's it for this chapter.. See y'all in the next one!

~Eleia Turner*


	4. Chapter 4

While Elizabeth tried to overcome her surprise, Jonathon Barbossa cast her one last pirate grin, and turned to his two companions.

"Muggs, yar with me. James, you stay with our lasses. Make sure that they have a wonderful time."

He then turned towards the stairs, Muggs right behind him. Just as Muggs was about to exit the hold, he sent Elizabeth one last look of anger. She only smiled.

The door was dropped with a loud _clank_, and the brig was once again enveloped in darkness. Elizabeth looked over to see if her daughter was alright, but Willow was already immersed in the world of sleep. The poor girl had been through a lot in the past few days, and Elizabeth was glad that her daughter would be able to rest.

Sighing, she looked over at the new pirate, James, who had quietly sat down in the far corner of the room. Face hidden partially by a hat and partially by shadow, she couldn't tell if he was young or old. Intrigued by this, she called over to him, her naturally curious personality taking over.

He looked up at the mention of his name, and Elizabeth beckoned him over. Taking no chances, not even with a woman, the man stood well out of her reach, even though she was bound in chains.

"Yes?" he asked.

Elizabeth paused for a moment, not having thought about what she would say when he came over. "Where are you taking us?" she asked after a time.

"Aruba." he answered curtly.

"To become slaves?" she asked, but already knowing the answer.

He nodded, then turned to sit back down in the corner.

Feeling utterly defeated and devastated, Elizabeth could feel the tears pulling at her eyes once more. Fighting the urge to cry, she directed her blurry vision to the ceiling.

"Where are you, Will?" she whispered, thinking of her long-lost husband, the man she still loved.

James' back stiffened up, and he stopped walking, as if he had heard Elizabeth. She looked over at him with tearful eyes and a curious mind. Using her bound hand, she brought her face close and wiped the moisture away.

The pirate turned to face her, an odd tone entering his voice. "Will?" he asked.

Elizabeth was puzzled. Could it be that yet _another _pirate knew her estranged husband?

"Will Turner." she clarified, "He is, well, used to be my husband."

James stepped closer, and Elizabeth felt her suspicion rising. "Used to be? Is 'e dead?" he asked, his voice becoming slightly husky.

"Not that I know of." answered Elizabeth cautiously, all but forgetting her devastation. "Who are you?" she questioned, wondering how this man knew Will.

Wordlessly, the pirate stepped into the dim moonlight streaming in from the windows, and removed his hat.

She gasped. The features were all the same: long black hair drawn into a ponytail, chiselled features, and even those deep brown eyes. As she looked closer, though, the features were aged past what Will's would have been. Strands of grey contrasted the black locks, and lines were common on this man's face.

"My name is William Turner." stated the man, his eyes locking hers. "Otherwise known as Bootstrap Bill."

Elizabeth became speechless. "Wi-Will's father?" she asked, her voice stumbling a bit.

James-no, _Bill_, nodded once more. "And yar his wife?" he asked.

She too, only nodded.

"And is that his daughter?" he asked, gesturing over to the slumbering Willow.

She repeated the same action.

Bill sighed, and dropped down beside Elizabeth, looking right at her. For a moment, she was lost in those eyes, eyes that were so like her Will's.

"I'll help ya escape." he said softly, almost whispering. "But it's gonna be hard." 

Elizabeth offered him a small grin. "I didn't expect it to be easy."


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you." Will said, handing over a shilling to the barmaid. He then wove his through the drunken crowd, spotting a few of his own crew. On his way out, he grabbed onto Jack's collar and yanked the man out of his seat.

"Round up the men." he yelled over the noise of the tavern. "We're leaving."

The captain of the Black Pearl nodded, showing uncharacteristic seriousness. Jack had been more and more like that since they had taken on this mission. 

Will was grateful for it. Ever since learning about Willow, and her and her mother's capture, he desperately just wanted to take both of them into his arms and make a permanent stop on land. 

Stepping out of the tavern, he breathed a sigh of relief. The place, The Mermaid's Tail, had been giving him a headache. True enough, a pirate shouldn't be glad to step out of a tavern, but when had Will Turner been a 'normal' pirate?

Trusting Jack to bring the men back, Will made his way towards the docks and the Black Pearl. Commodore Norrington, Governor Swann and a handful of redcoats had joined them aboard the Black Pearl. Even their brand new ship, the Reliant, was nowhere near as fast as the Pearl.

Coming upon the docks, a normal person would see nothing there, save for a dark spot of water about five hundred metres out. But Will knew better. He found the rowboat, occupied by two pirates named Riley and Morgan, and commanded them to row him back to the Pearl. They complied willingly, knowing that Will was the one who made the stop in Tortuga.

The barmaid had told him scarcely nothing. She said that the only boat to be in Tortuga in the past few days was the Triumph, a rum runner out of Kingston. Things had been slow around here because of the increased British Naval presence.

Sighing, Will turned and directed his attention out to the sea. Somewhere, out there, his wife and daughter were locked up in a brig, or even....

Will stopped that thought before it could go any further. He wouldn't let that possibility into his mind. He WOULD find Willow and Elizabeth, and he wouldn't sleep until he did.

His eyes concentrated on the sea once more, and the familiar topography of Tortuga. The hills, the trees, those small coves...

"What the hell...?" Will exclaimed, noticing something curious near the lip of the peninsula. A dark spot, almost like the Black Pearl...

Grabbing Riley's handheld telescope, he concentrated on the object, adjusting his sight so he could see it clearly.

It was a ship! Will struggled to read the name on it, putting the telescope out as far as it would go. Squinting, the letters became readable. The ship's name was the White Tiger. As he watched, though, the ship began move, sails lifting as it heading out into the night.

Panic started to bubble up in Will as the ship pulled away. This could be the ship. Turning his sight back towards the shore, he saw Jack and a group of stumbling pirates piling into the boat. Hoping that the captain of the Black Pearl would hear him, Will shouted over:

"Hurry, Jack!"

The distance between them was two great, and Jack seemed to take no notice. Sighing, Will looked ahead once more. They were at the Black Pearl. Letting Riley and Morgan go first, the former blacksmith tied the rowboat to the ropes so that his crew could hoist it up, then grabbed onto a nearby pull line. Shimmying himself up, he soon stood on the deck of the Pearl.

Off in the distance, the White Tiger was fast escaping. Commanding the crew to prepare to make way, he patiently waited for Jack to return. 

Finally, Jack's rowboat pulled alongside the Pearl. Throwing down the lines, the crew began to immediately pull up the boat, the five men still inside. Jack stepped aboard and immediately headed to the helm.

"What's going on?" asked the captain, looking at Will.

"A ship called the White Tiger just left the peninsula. Its out on the horizon, portside, about five kilometres out. We have to follow it."

Nodding at his friend's words, Captain Jack Sparrow got his crew moving. Soon the Black Pearl was headed out to sea, in hot pursuit of the White Tiger and whatever it held...

*A/N: Short chapter, I know, but I don't really like splitting up a chapter into two POVs. Next one will be from Elizabeth.

Wow. Thanks for all of the reviews, guys! That seriously got me writing much quicker than usual! Thanks to (long list here) Aarien Star, SparklingDiamond, Kana, ElvenRanger13, midnight-shadow, AgentBloom, Kris, Tynan Atreides, Garnet Turner, katie janeway, IceDragon, Cousin Mary, Cerelina, AngelBlaze, PhoenixFyre, Melanie Turner, Trixi Summers, Sydney, Emma, Slazenger77, Trinity, Diamond-Dancer, shivvyshiv435, Angelus Griffin, Sage of Hairspray, szhismine, nessa, Leah, Dot, Legolas, and cassiarmp!

You guys are what keep me writing!

See y'all in the next chapter, coming soon….

~Eleia*


	6. Chapter 6

Bill quickly unlatched Elizabeth's shackles, then Willow's. The sleepy young girl rubbed at her eyes as her mother enveloped her in her arms. Willow, for her part, just stood there, still obviously half asleep.

Elizabeth let go of her daughter after a moment, and turned to Bill. "What now?"

He started to open his mouth when the ship lurched suddenly, and the two females were thrown to the floor. Being more accustomed to the sea and its ships, Bill only stumbled forwards a tad, then recovered.

He reached down and pulled the two women up. "What was that?" asked Elizabeth, dusting her dress off.

"They've set sail. We must be on route to Aruba now."

She swore under her breath, one of the few bad habits she had picked up from a certain sea captain. "What are we going to do now?"

"D'ya know 'ow to use a sword?" Will's father asked, retreating behind a far corner of the brig and removing a carefully hidden sword.

Elizabeth smiled. "Oh, I picked up a few things here and there."

Bill smiled back. "Willow?" he stated, turning to face his granddaughter.

"Yes?" she answered meekly. Elizabeth could see that her daughter was afraid, but she could also see the courage in her young eyes.

"You stay behind me and yar mum. We're gonna head for the longboat, cut the lines and plunge into the sea. It's gonna be a rough ride, but it'll save us."

"Ready?" he asked.

The Swann women nodded. Following Bill up the stairs, Elizabeth eyes blinked repeatedly to the light change. A few meager candles had lit the brig, so even the faint moonlight hurt her.

There was no one on deck, which immediately made Elizabeth suspicious. Rationalizing it to the fact that they had just left Tortuga, and that the men were probably drunk in the hold, she moved forwards with Bill, grabbing Willow's hand and leading her along.

They were just about at the longboat when she heard a _creak_ behind her. Turning swiftly, she came around face to face with Captain Jonathon Barbosssa.

"Going somewhere?" he asked with that same evil grin. His men were all lined up behind him, grinning as well. She could see all of their gold teeth glitter in the moonlight, and she shuddered. 

Suddenly, a tall black man reached forwards and grabbed Willow from her mother's side. The girl opened her mouth to scream, but it was abruptly cut off by a hand being shoved into her mouth. 

"No!" Elizabeth yelled, raising her sword and moving towards her daughter. Faster than she could see, a gun was raised to the side of her daughter's head. Willow whimpered, and stayed completely still. Elizabeth held herself back, a sob caught in her throat.

"I wouldn't be doing that, lass." suggested Barbossa, the barrel of his gun pressed into Willow's temple.

"That's better." he said, once Elizabeth had moved back and her sword was on the ground. Bill, however, still held his.

"I'd put that down, if I were you, Bootstrap, unless you'd be wanting to see a hole in yar granddaughter's head."

Barbossa smiled once more as the shock came over Bill's face. "Ya didn't think that I would know that ya were Bill "Bootstrap" Turner, now did ya? I'm not as stupid as ya think I am."

"What do you want from us?" asked Elizabeth, concern for her daughter etched into her features.

"What do I want?" asked Barbossa rhetorically. "Well, ya see, me pretty lass, I have a plan for you two." he said, gesturing to Bill and Elizabeth.

"And what would that be?" growled Bill.

"Thar's this treasure, ya see," started Barbossa, removing his gun from Willow's head as he started to pace. "Rumored to the greatest horde ever found in these parts. Even bigger than Isla del Muerta."

Some of the men's eyes lit up at the mention of this treasure. Elizabeth, however, knew that there would be a catch. There was _always_ a catch.

"It's on an island called l'Isle du Diable, Island of the Devil, named so by French explorers years ago." continued Barbossa, "The island is literally a death trap, volcanoes, wild animals and such." he said, gesturing with his hands. "But the treasure on it's the greatest ever seen."

"And why do you need us?" spat out Elizabeth. "Is there _another _curse?"

"Nay, not a curse, me lass," smiling that wicked smile. "We'd call it more of a booby trap. Ya see, the first pirates in this area, years ago, used to all horde their treasure there, causing many fights and such in the area. As such, the area around the island is littered with sunken boats, creating a shallow area around the island, where no boat can sail. Secondly, the final pirates upon the island set up a series of booby traps that no one can get through, not even the likes of Cortez. And thirdly, it's said that upon exit of the treasure chamber, should you get inside, the island will sink itself. So you see, me lass, we need someone to get through these booby traps for us."

"And why would we do that for you?" asked Elizabeth smugly.

He came close to her, close enough that she could smell the rum on his breath and could count the number of gold teeth in his mouth. She pulled away, and he smiled. "I'm glad you brought that up."

Barbossa took hold of Willow's arm, and led her over to the side off the boat. Elizabeth rushed forwards, but felt herself being grabbed by two of Barbossa's lackeys. 

"On this island, inside this treasure cave, there is rumoured to be a powerful device, one built to do a single thing: to bring the dead back to life. This is what I want you to fetch."

"And what if we don't?"

"Then," started Barbossa, "You have no hope of seeing your daughter again."

With that, he gabbed Willow, shoved her onto the railing of the boat and watched with satisfaction as she tumbled into the water below.

Elizabeth screamed and ripped herself free of the men who held her. Running to the edge, she looked down into the turbulent waters below, trying to find a sign of her daughter. Finding none, she turned to Barbossa, a fiery vengeance obvious in her eyes.

"Murderous bastard!" she yelled out, running forwards. The men grabbed her once more, and she fell to the ground, sobs overtaking her small figure. Bill ran forwards and enveloped her into his arms. He looked up at his former shipmate's son, and shot him a cruel look.

"You'll pay for this this." he growled.

"Will I?" answered Barbossa, smirking down at Bill. "Take them back to the brig!" he called out to his men, as they lifted the smouldering man and sobbing women up, and them down to the hold.

Barbossa grinned at his own ingenuity, and headed back to his quarters. No one saw the black spot in the water behind them, nor the ropes that reached down to grab a small figure out of the water....

*Thanks for all the reviews guys. I hoped you liked this chapter!

~Eleia*


	7. Chapter 7

Louis Marcé looked out into the water below, and sighed. They had had barely any time in Tortuga, and Louis himself had been subjected to staying on the Black Pearl while others went to shore. He supposed it was because the men thought that Louis was stupid or something, not being able to speak English and all, but Louis could understand English perfectly; it was the speaking of it that he could not master.

He trailed his hand along the starboard railing of the ship, and pretended that he could touch the water. Louis was a French colonist, now pirate, originally from Bordeaux. His parents and younger sister had been killed in a tsunami while they were on route to Kingston. Louis had been the lone survivor and had joined Captain Jack Sparrow's legendary pirate crew.

Looking to the sea ahead of them, he remarked with surprise something in the water, about three hundred metres ahead. With a gasp, he saw that it was a person!

"Homme dans l'eau, homme dans l'eau!" he yelled, trying to alert people in his native tongue.

No one came.

"Il y a un homme dans l'eau! Ecoute moi, vous stupides cochons!" he exclaimed.

Grudgingly, Gibbs came over, wondering what the French pirate was squawking about. Following the man's aggravated hand motions, Gibbs also saw the figure in the water.

"Man overboard!" he shouted, garnering everyone's immediate attention. Louis sighed, and resigned himself to watching.

The figure in the water was struggling, which was actually a good sign. They yelled down to it to grab the ropes, and it did.

"Hold on!" commanded Gibbs, then signalling to the men to pull it up.

Seconds later, with a lot of surprised crewmen, the men of the Black Pearl found themselves with a soaked and scared nine year-old girl.

"Don't just stand around!" exclaimed Anamaria, who came running to the girl's side. "Get her a blanket!" 

Two of the men nervously ran off, obviously intimidated by the female pirate. With a grin, Anamaria remarked that those were the men that had questioned her abilities a week ago. Her and her fists had shown them her 'abilities', all right.

Looking down at the cold and shaking girl in her arms, something in Anamaria's heart softened. "It's okay," she whispered down the young girl, "You'll be fine."

The soon came with the blanket, followed by Captain Jack Sparrow and his first mate, Will Turner. Will ran over to the two women, while Jack commanded his crew to get back to work.

Lifting the soggy girl into his arms, Will carried her into Jack's quarters, much to the chagrin of Jack. Anamaria just shot him a look, and that shut the sea captain up pretty fast.

Will gently set her onto the bed, and pulled the blankets up to her chin. Turning to Anamaria, he asked:

"Do you have a shirt for her or something? She's completely soaked."

The female pirate nodded, and went down below deck to fetch it.

"Do you have a name, darling?" Will asked softly, addressing the young girl now.

She nodded, shivering still. "Wi-Willow." she said between chatters.

It took a moment for it to soak in. Willow. This was HIS daughter. Now, as he looked at her, he couldn't help but see the features in her that were so Elizabeth, so much like his beloved Elizabeth that it hurt. He also remarked, though, that there were parts of him in this young girl, the girl that he and Elizabeth had made.

Behind him, he could feel Jack's eyes boring into his back. He froze for a moment, and just stood there, much to the confusion of Willow.

Luckily for Will, right at that moment Commodore Norrington and Governor Swann burst in. They quickly rushed over to her side.

"James! Grandpapa!" she exclaimed, as Governor Swann enveloped her into his arms.

"Are you alright, my dear?" he asked his granddaughter anxiously, checking her over quickly.

Willow giggled. "I'm fine, Grandpapa. The nice men helped me out of the water."

Norrington and Governor Swann looked over to where Jack and Will stood. "Did they now?"

Anamaria then stepped through the door, and remarked with surprise at the family reunion happening inside. "Here's the shirt." she stated gruffly.

"Thank you." replied Will.

Anamaria nodded and headed out of the room, Jack close on her heels. 

Will was alone now, with his daughter and the two men that had cared for her in his absence. He felt very uncomfortable, and wondered if he too should leave, like Jack and Anamaria had. 

He was headed towards the door when James Norrington stopped him. The commodore just looked him in the eye, and stated, very softly:

"She's your daughter."

He then looked over at Willow one last time, then left the room. Governor Swann noticed this, and gave his granddaughter one last kiss on the cheek, then left as well.

Will stood there for a moment, unsure about what to do. He then remembered the shirt, and brought it over to her. 

"Put this on, Willow. It'll stop you from getting a chill."

She took the shirt from him, and he turned around so that she could change. He was suddenly hit with a wave of nostalgia, remembering how Elizabeth, no matter what, always asked him to turn around will she changed. He usually protested, telling her that there was nothing to see that he hadn't seen before, but she stayed adamant in her descion. His Elizabeth was a stubborn one.

He shook himself quickly. No, she wasn't his Elizabeth anymore. His Elizabeth left ten years ago, along with their unborn daughter. She was someone else's Elizabeth now.

"I'm done." said Willow softly, and he turned around. He came over and sat on the edge of her bed, and pulled the covers up to her chin.

"My Mama does that too." she whispered softly.

Will smiled at her. "Time to sleep now, Willow. We'll talk more later."

She nodded sleepily, and was soon immersed into the land of Nod. Will stayed by her side, watching her sleep, watching her dream. It was so odd to see himself in another person, to know that she was a part of him 

He tucked a wayward piece of hair behind her ear, and with that, left Jack's quarters, leaving his daughter to a restful reprieve.

*Hey everyone,

Sorry for the short chapter again, but I'm hoping to have another one up tomorrow. I'm leaving on vacation until August 12th, but know that this story is NOT abandoned. I may have chance to update while at my aunt's house, but I don't know.

Thanks for all the support, guys, in your reviews. It really gets my ass moving to write more. J 

Anywho, that's about it for now,

Adios!

~Aria (formerly Eleia)*


	8. Chapter 8

Elizabeth was tired, alone, cold and scared. Not scared for herself, though, but for her daughter and for the man who had so bravely helped her and Willow: Bill Turner.

The pirate was currently in the cell next to her, eyes closed and body relaxed. Elizabeth supposed he was asleep, but somehow, in the back of her mind, she disputed that. Bill was not a man who would let death come without a fight; Elizabeth still didn't know how he escaped the waters of Davy Jones' Locker.

She opened her mouth to ask him this, but he beat her to it. "Yar gonna ask me 'ow I escaped the Locker, aren't ya?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yes, that was what I was going to ask."

Bill grinned, eyes still closed, and began to speak. "When Barbossa, the elder one mind ya, left Jack on that island, I couldn't take that lightly. Jack was me friend, and it didn't seem right to do that to him. I went to talk to Barbossa, which seems daft to me now, and the next thing I know, I'm lying on the bottom of the Locker, me legs severed at the ankles."

Elizabeth shivered. "Your legs were _severed_?"

He shot her a wry grin. "Yeah, but I got them back. You see, when Barbossa attached those cannons to me, he didn't realize that I was still cursed, having sent the coin to me son and all. So when I hit the bottom of ol' Davy Jones' Locker, I was still alive. I had ten years to find me legs and get out."

"Fi-find your legs?" she whispered, finding the subject of finding one's legs more than a tad disturbing.

"Sorry if it frightens ya lassie, but ya did ask to hear me story."

"That's true." she conceded. "Then what happened?" her curious nature overcoming her feelings of discontent.

Her ex-husband's father sighed. "Not much. It took me a while, but I found them, swam to shore, got a ride to Tortuga, and sailed around on a few pirate ships. I tried to find out what happened to me son, but everyone told me that the ship he was on had been attacked by the Black Pearl. I didn't think that I'd ever find him until I met you, and yar beautiful little daughter." He smiled at her, a genuine smile of warmth, and for a moment, Elizabeth was comforted.

But that momentary comfort was obliterated as she thought of her poor, defenseless daughter, lost in the sea. Tears sprang to her eyes once more, and she cried for her Willow.

Bill turned to her, and touched her shoulder through the bars of the cell. "There, there, lassie. We'll find her, don't you worry. Why, I bet that yar father has the entire naval fleet out looking for you two. No doubt one of them picked her up."

Elizabeth tried to smile, but it came out half-hearted at best. She knew that Bill was only trying to cheer her up, but it hurt too much to even talk about Willow. She decided to change the subject, and try to take her mind away from her fear for her daughter.

"And what about you?" she asked, "Don't you want to know about your son?"

The older man looked surprised that Elizabeth was even willing to talk right then, but quickly replaced that surprise with a big grin.

"Tell me everything ya can."

And she did. She told him about how her and Will had met, how she had cared for him afterwards. How Will was a blacksmith by trade, but a pirate by nature and how he and her had come to fall in love in the midst of pirates and a curse.

Surprisingly, though, Elizabeth also found herself telling him of how they had come to be separated, and that Will did not know his daughter, did not even know that he had a daughter.

Bill listened with unbridled curiosity, wanting to hear and know everything about the soon he had not seen in almost twenty years. When his daughter-in-law finished, he sat back against the wall of his cell and tried to soak up everything he had just heard.

It was silent for a long moment, save for their breathing and the creaking of the ship as it cut through the water. Bill turned to her after a while and stated:

"You should tell him."

"Pardon me?" Elizabeth said, not quite understanding what the pirate meant.

"You should tell Will that he has a daughter." the older man elaborated, "It would pain him to know that he had a daughter all these years and that he never once got to see her."

Elizabeth hung her head low, trying in vain to hide her tears from the man. "I know, I know. But she's gone now!" she exclaimed, her voice cracking with sorrow. 

"She's gone." Elizabeth whispered once more.

And with that, Elizabeth Swann slumped against the hard wall of her cell and fell into a restless sleep, dreaming of her lost daughter and her lost love...

*Well, I don't know if this chapter is any good, but hopefully it is! Sorry I wasn't able to update at my aunt's!!!!! I was REALLY busy!!!!!

Anywho, here is Chapter Eight, and for all of you who don't know, I have written a companion piece to this story, entitled 'The Sea'. Check it out if y'all want.

That's all for now, and see you in the next chapter!!!!

~Aria*


	9. Chapter 9

__

Water.

It was everywhere. In her mouth, in her eyes, in her ears. She could feel it push her down, sucking her into the depths of the ocean. She struggled against, tried to free herself from its icy grip, but to no avail. Down, down, down she went, plunging to the bottom that she could not yet see.

She tried to scream, but the water suffocated it. Her lungs started to burn, and she realized that she was going to die.

A strange fish swam by, luminescent in the darkness of the water. Its mouth opened to reveal a gaping tunnel, from where she could have sworn she heard her name...

"Willow...Willow! Wake up!"

Willow Jaclyn Swann awoke with a gasp, her heart pounding from within her chest. Her breathing was rapid, as she hungrily tried to draw in air.

"Whoa. Slow down there, sweetheart. Just take a deep breath. That's it."

Willow did such, and once she had calmed down, she turned to find one of the men who rescued her, Will, she thought his name was. 

"You had a nightmare, darlin', but you're alright now." he said, smiling.

She smiled back, and took the opportunity to study the man who had helped her. He had long, almost black hair pulled into a ponytail and a goatee. The thing that Willow found so intriguing about this Will were his eyes... they were remarkably like hers.

She was removed from her thoughts by Will, who asked if she was alright.

"Oh, yes." Willow answered, smiling at him. "I'm fine."

Silence reigned for a few moments before Willow felt comfortable enough to ask her next question.

"This may seem odd, Mr. Will," she started, garnering a chuckle from Will at the title before his name, "But do I know you? You seem somehow familiar."

At the young girl's question the pirate lost his smile and seemed to almost become nervous. "Uh, no. I-I don't think so, my dear." offering her a half-hearted smile.

This only peaked the intelligent girl's curiosity. "No, I think I do know you... Oh! I know!" she exclaimed, realization dawning on her. "My mama has a drawing of you in our foyer! She never tells me who you are, though."

Will looked taken aback, and for a good reason. Unbeknownst to the young Willow, that painting had been part of a wedding gift Will and Elizabeth had received, over ten years ago.

Out loud, he sighed. "Alright, m'dear. I _do_ know your mother, but we'll leave it at that, alright?"

But this stubborn young girl would not settle for that. Will could see that Willow had inherited more than just looks from her mother. "No. I want to know who you are!"

He was silent a moment, then whispered something inaudible.

"What?" asked Willow, equally quiet.

"I'm your father."

This was quite a surprise to the nine-year old girl, having not expected this. But she reacted most unlike a girl of her age, and more like an adult, increasing her newfound father's respect.

"Really?" she replied calmly.

He nodded.

"Oh."

Silence passed once more, as the young girl tried to absorb this information. She had lived all of her (short) life not knowing her father then suddenly -pop!- here he is.

"Are you gonna leave again?" she whispered.

"Of course not!" he exclaimed. "I'll never leave you or your mama again, alright?"

He could see sleep drifting back into her eyes as she asked her next question. "Are you and James and Grandpapa going to rescue her?"

"Without doubt." he said, stroking her hair lightly. "Now go to sleep, Willow. It's almost morning."

"Will you be here we I get up?" she questioned, sounding half asleep.

"Yes. Now, good night Willow, my darling."

She smiled once more before falling asleep, and mumbled: "Good night, Papa."

Will felt unexpected happiness at the use of that word. During the past ten years he had thought to never be called that word, never to be a father. Fatherhood, as in the actual raising of a child, was not a profession that pirates entered so easily.

But the former blacksmith also felt a pang in his heart, for he knew that he had missed so much of his daughter's life. First smile, first step, first word, and the list went on. Those things he would never be able to see, never experience firsthand. 

He knew, though, that after they rescued Elizabeth, he would not be returning to the Black Pearl. Will Turner wanted nothing more than to live on solid land with Willow, and god-permitting, Elizabeth. Yes, the sea called to him, but he realized now that the sea was not his true love, that his true love lay in front of him and on the ship they were tailing.

Unfortunately, his moment of realization soon came to an end. A crewman stumbled in, saying that Jack wanted to talk to him. He stole one last look of his daughter, and went out to meet Jack.

He spotted the captain of the wheel of the ship, a look on determination glued onto his half-drunken features.

"What is it, Jack?"

His long-time friend didn't look over at him, just kept his eyes on the ship they were following. "I know where they're taking 'er."

"Where?" 

"Isle du Diable."

"No." whispered Will. Isle du Diable was notorious among pirates. It was a death trap, a cursed place. No one dared go there.

"They must be plannin' to use Elizabeth to get through all 'em booby traps." Jack said, making a face. 

"Well, we've got to stop them! We have to save her!" Will exclaimed, much like he had more than ten years ago.

Captain Jack Sparrow smiled then, and looked over to his friend. "I 'ave just the plan…"

*Ohhhhhh! What is Jack's plan?

Guess you'll just have to tune (or read?) in next time!

~Aria*


	10. Chapter 10 AKA the Legolas Chapter

From afar, Isle du Diable looked like just another Caribbean island, green palm trees, sparkling clear water and white, sandy beaches. But, if Will looked hard enough, he could see the masts of sunken ships jutting out of the water, like memorials to those who had been here before. He could also see that the peak of that beautiful, solitary mountain was scarred by the lava that had carved paths into its sides.

Near the south side of the island, though, Will could also see a sign of life. A tall Spanish galleon was anchored about a mile out, far enough that the perilous shallow area around the island would not sink their ship as it had so many others. 

He was approaching that ship now, barely one hundred metres ahead. Will could see the men ogling him from the deck of the ship, and he meant ogling. You see, this was all part of Jack's "plan", which Will referred to as insanity.

"_Right, mate. This is me plan. You row to their ship and distract them while I," Jack accentuated this point with a flourish of hand motions, "Climb aboard and rescue yar fair lady. Again."_

Ignoring Jack's last comment, Will immediately posed his question. "And how would I distract them?"

Captain Jack Sparrow shot his first mate a devilish grin, one that Will had come to associate with moments of complete and utter insanity.

"Why, with these, of course!" the smiling pirate gestured to a pile of pillaged clothes, more precisely, women's_ clothes. Quite fittingly, in the middle of the clutter there was a blond wig, one that Will remembered Jack wearing one night, in the midst of one of his stupors._

The sea captain turned to him again, that annoying grin still plastered onto his face. "And that goatee jus' gotta go, William, me lad. No one wants a hairy maiden."

Before Will could come up with a response, Jack escaped, swaggering out of the room, obviously pleased with himself.

Willow had laughed, of course, upon seeing her new found father without his facial hair and a blond wig upon his head. But she had almost doubled over in stitches when he emerged clad in a floral print dress, ruffles and all. The girl's grandfather had chuckled a bit too, and Will could have sworn he saw James Norrington smile. The crew, of course, had their share of hysterics as well.

And that was how William Turner II ended up in the longboat, paddling himself to the White Tiger under the false name of Sophia.

//Thank the Lord for small miracles.// Will thought to himself as he paddled, thinking about the corset Jack could have made him where. He shuddered involuntarily.

"'Ey down there! Where's a pretty maiden like you goin' in a rowboat?" someone shouted down from the ship.

Will grumbled once more about his current situation, then looked up to answer. "I was- I mean, I was shipwrecked! Please help me!" he cried out, pausing at the beginning to change his voice to the highest it could go. It was pitiful, and sounding nothing like a woman to his ears, but hopefully it was enough to fool this pirate crew.

"Grab ona the rope! We'll 'oist ya up!" the same voice called down again, tossing down a rope a the same time.

Will went to scale up the rope, but realized that a dignified lady in a dress would not do such. Sighing, he grabbed onto the rope, and waited to be hoisted up.

Once on deck, Will faced an entire crew of lust filled crewmembers. He grew afraid... very afraid.

"Hey, darling." some called out.

"Come stay with me..." others said.

As Will tried his best to become a flirtatious young woman, he kept his eye on the starboard side, where Jack was due to climb over. Finally, after several moments of distracted flirting, he spotted the soaking wet pirate flopping over the side and running down to the brig, but not before he stole a laugh at Will's misery.

A few minutes passed, with various butt pinches and arm squeezes from the men around him. Will was becoming very, very scared. After what seemed an eternity, Jack popped out of the hold and gave Will a confused shrug.

He saw the pirate mouth the words: "They're not here!" 

Will nodded his acknowledgement and Jack then jumped silently back into the water below. Taking a cue from Elizabeth, the young Turner feigned a faint and tumbled off of the side of the boat, remembering not to surface so that the pirates would not search for him.

Finally, after a long stretch of swimming, Will found himself back at the Pearl. Shimmying up a nearby rope, he collapsed onto the deck and struggled to level his breathing once more.

"And?!" asked Anamaria to the two men, Jack having crawled aboard only moments before Will.

"She-wasn't-there." gasped Jack. "They-must've-taken-'er-to-shore."

As Will soaked up this information, he realized that this presented a whole new problem. The only reason they would have taken Elizabeth to shore would be to use her to get through the booby traps.. booby traps that no living man had ever gone through...

Forcing himself to his feet, Will grabbed onto Jack's shoulder. "C'mon Jack, we've a damsel to rescue."

The pirate captain just moaned and collapsed to the deck.

*Well, that's another chapter. Probably about three left, maybe more.

Thanks for the support, everyone!

~Aelan (yes, I'm always changing my name)*


	11. Chapter 11

A hand pressed up against her back, and she was shoved roughly to her knees. In front of her was the cave with all the infamous booby traps that Barbossa was so fond of informing her about. 

In reality, the cave itself did not look very intimidating from the outside. Actually, Elizabeth had been imagining in her mind a huge, gaping entrance, with bats and a sinister glow. This was more of a small hole, with nothing menacing about it, but, as the saying went, appearances can be deceiving.

Surprisingly, Elizabeth was not worried about entering this cave to what seemed to be certain death. If death was what to come, she would accept it with open arms. For she had lost the two people that she had loved more than the world to the damned sea, and she knew that she would not be able to live without them. 

On the other hand, though, if she were to make it through these reputed 'impassable' booby traps, she prayed that this object that Barbossa spoke of was truly real. If it wasn't, she swore to let no one else touch the treasure and doom this island to a watery grave.

These dark thoughts in her head frightened her a little, but she knew that she meant them. If she was destined to die in these caves, so be it. It seemed liked that eventuality would be true anyways, since who would rescue them here? James? Her father? True enough, the entire Royal Navy WAS probably after her and her daughter, but how would they know what ship they were on, let alone find it. No, it seemed to Elizabeth that it was to be her final resting place, and she knew it.

Two hands suddenly grabbed her shoulders, and she gave a small gasp of shock. She had not expected that, being lost in her thoughts so deeply like that. Elizabeth was yanked violently to her feet, where she came face to face with her daughter's murderer, Jonathon Barbossa.

His mud-brown eyes bored into her emerald ones. A crooked smile appeared onto his face, and she unconsciously took a half-step backwards.

"Well, me lassie, this is where we part ways. Good luck, darlin'." 

Before she could respond, he grabbed ahold of her shoulder and shoved her into the cave, Bill right behind her. She turned around to the mouth of it, but Barbossa's crew was lined up there, muskets in hand and sinister grins plastered on their faces.

"If you don't get movin', we'll get ya moving!" yelled Barbossa from his place in the line. His men cocked their guns, and pointed them at Elizabeth and Bill.

"C'mon." said Bill, placing a hand onto her arm and directing her into the cave. As they turned the nearest bend of the cavern, she could hear the pirates start to laugh, and it sent chills down her spine....

*_____________________________* 

For the second time in less than an hour, Will Turner was swimming in the ocean. Jack was a few paces behind him, as the disgruntled pirate was still irate about having to swim to this 'bloody, godforsaken island'. 

Will knew though, that Jack wanted to rescue Elizabeth almost as much as he did. Elizabeth, to Jack, was the girl he would never get, and that was intriguing to him. Plus, the pirate captain was Will's best friend and had already helped rescue her once before.

Holding his breath, Will dove down, and immediately touched sand. He swam forwards a few more feet, then was able to walk the rest of the way out. Jack followed only a few feet behind.

"So, what's the plan, mate?" asked the sopping wet pirate, looking to Will.

"Plan? I thought you were the one with the plan!" exclaimed Will, exasperated.

The pirate captain looked pensive a moment, which was remarkable hard to do with the numerous bangles and affairs hanging from his hair and his soggy clothing. "Right, right... the plan. No worries, mate, I remember it now!"

Will just rolled his eyes.

Jack lead them up the nearby hill, and they crouched down at its top. Down below, Will could make out a group of people he could only assume to be pirates, judging by their attire and state of cleanliness. They stood congregated in front of the mouth of the cave, a cave that Will presumed to be the one with the treasure. Just inside the lip of the cavern, though, he spotted...

"Elizabeth!" he breathed. "Jack, she's down there!" He made to get up, but a rough hand closed around his forearm and yanked him back down.

"Quiet!" hissed Jack, "Do ya wanna 'em to kill 'er before we get there?" 

A quick shake of Will's head answered Jack's question.

"Then, be quiet. I suspect they're gonna send 'er in, and then we'll..." Jack's voice broke off as he spotted another prisoner being shoved into the cave with Elizabeth. A prisoner that seemed vaguely familiar to Jack...

"What is it?" asked Will, seeing Jack staring at the second person.

"Nothing, nothing." Jack responded hastily, drawing Will's attention away from the cave and back to himself. "Alright. We're gonna sneak down the side of this 'ill, then get to Lizzie through the back entrance."

Will's mouth dropped open. "How'd ya know that there's another entrance... have you been here before?"

Jack just shot him that devilish grin. "Now, c'mon Will, 'Lizabeth's waiting...."

*Ha! Another cliffhanger! Muahahahaha!

I also split up the POV, which is something that I HATE to do, but it was necessary in this case.

Only about two more chapters to go…

~Aelan*


	12. Chapter 12

The cave smelt of death and decay, and the source was plain to see. Half-decomposed bodies and skeletons missing various limbs littered the sides of the caves, testaments to the booby traps of the cave. Elizabeth could feel her stomach churning, and she fought to urge to vomit.

Bill took the lead, using a small torch that one of Barbossa's lackeys had handed him before shoving him inside of the cave. With Bill's free hand, he held Elizabeth's small hand against his, leading the young woman down into the cave's cache of treasures and danger.

He felt Elizabeth's hand slid out from his, and he looked over to see her staring at a piece of gold affixed to the wall. 

"What's this for?" she asked, as she put out a hand to touch it.

"No!" yelled Bill, reaching forwards and pulling her back. "It might be rigged."

Elizabeth's look of curiosity turned to one of fear. "Really?" she asked softly, looking over to Will's father.

He nodded, and bent over to pick up a stray rock. Instructing her to hold the torch, he aimed and threw the stone right at the piece of gold, hitting it dead-on. 

Almost immediately, the ground in front of them seemed to shake, and Elizabeth could feel her balance slipping. She reached out to the cave's wall, and held on. A hole appeared right here she would of been standing, had she touched the gold. She leaned forwards, peered inside and found to her horror several skeletons strewn about inside.

As she looked down in shock, she heard Bill's voice say softly: "Don't touch anything."

They continued to walk down the tunnel, the roof seemingly getting lower and lower as they went. Elizabeth saw many other curious things affixed to the walls and the ground, and several times they stopped so that Bill could check for more booby traps. 

Soon enough, they reached a section in the cave where the roof rose about two feet, and Elizabeth's slumped back was able to straighten again. As she was doing so, she didn't notice that Bill had stopped and she crashed right into his back.

"What is it?" she whispered, peering over his shoulder. 

A gasp escaped her lips, and her jaw dropped.

Gold! It was everywhere, filling every corner and crevice of the small cavern. It was piled high, almost touching the roof in places, gold of every shape and size. Also amongst the gold were silver tiaras, bronze crowns and platinum chains, all encrusted with jewels, some as big as Elizabeth's fist.

An object in the centre of the room was what caught Elizabeth's eye, though. Upon a plain stone slab lay a crystal orb, which rested on a velveteen sheet. She made to walk towards it, but Bill grabbed her arm once more.

"We go together." he said simply, and she understood.

They strode forwards carefully, looking around themselves for more hidden booby traps. Finding none, they reached the stone counter. Across the front of it was carved an inscription, in a language that Elizabeth didn't recognise. Bill did though, as he started to read it out loud.

" 'Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, a life for a life, if you dare to trust.' " he read in his soft Cockney accent.

"What does that mean?" asked Elizabeth after he had finished.

Bill straightened up and paused to consider this. "I take it to mean that if you want to bring Willow back, you'll have to sacrifice someone else's life... or your own."

She went quiet then, and the cave was silent save for their soft breathing. Long moments passed, before Elizabeth took a deep breath in, and cleared her throat.

"All right then. Do you have a knife, Bill?" she asked calmly, determination etched onto her lovely features.

"I won't let you do this, Elizabeth. Even if this does work, Willow needs her mother. Let me do it." he pleaded, looking into her emerald eyes.

She looked back into his, which were so much like her Will's, and in turn, so much like Willow's. She knew what she had to do.

"Give me your dagger, Bill." she said once more, as if he had never spoken. He didn't move. 

"Dagger!"

With a sigh, he pulled out his dagger, and handed it over after a moment's deliberation. "Elizabeth, let me. You don't have to do this!"

She ignored him, and went up to the altar, and placed the dagger down onto the soft velveteen sheet. She closed her eyes for a moment, and when they opened once more, Bill could see the moisture glittering in her eyes.

"Tell-tell Willow I love her, and I'll always be there for her. And..." he voice died then, and she cleared her throat quickly. "And if you see Will, tell him that I always will be his Elizabeth."

Bill's eyes glistened with unshed tears as he nodded to Elizabeth's requests. He knew that she had made up her mind, and that nothing would stop her.

She picked up the orb, and cradled in her hands. She whispered something inaudible to it, and Bill saw a distorted image of a small girl inside, and realized that it was Willow. The image then disappeared, and the orb went dark once more.

The young woman seemed to know what to do, and lifted up the knife. It shined in the flickering light of the cave, as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Slowly, she raised it high, and prepared to plunge it down into her own heart…

*Another cliffhanger! I really am quite evil, aren't I? Muahahahaha!

Anyways, I'm sorry that I made you all wait so long for this chapter, I was in Saskatoon for the long weekend for my dad's reunion of some kind… whatever. Lol.

The story seems to be making itself longer, so there SHOULD be only two more chapters after this one, but who knows…

I am about to start the next chapter, so it should be up tomorrow, Thursday at the latest.

Thanks for the reviews, everyone! Oh, and a special thank you out to Lady LifeCharm, who seems to enjoy reading every piece of fanfiction I have ever written! (although I can't understand why!!!)

I'll be making all of my dedications in my last chapter, and EVERYONE who reviewed will be mentioned!

That's about it for now,

~Aelan*


	13. Chapter 13

Her father... her mother... James Norrington... Will... Willow....

As Elizabeth Swann prepared to sacrifice her own life for her daughter's, she thought briefly of all the people she had cared for in life, and saw their faces flash by in her memory. She whispered, under her breath, a silent 'I love you all', and tensed up her arms, cementing her grip of the dagger in her hands.

A single last breath stayed still in her lungs, as she shed one last tear.

//Now!// she thought to herself.

The next moment passed in a blur. From a distance, she heard her name being called, screamed almost. She swore that she recognised the voice, but the knife had already started its descent towards her heart.

Suddenly, when the knife was just a few inches from plunging into her, she was shoved roughly by what felt like an elephant. She felt the dagger fall from her hands, as her eyes opened and she fell onto the ground, landing on her right arm. A sickening cracking sound was heard, and she screamed when bone broke through skin, leaving her wriggling on the ground in pain.

A face bent over hers next, a face that was blurred from her tears of pain. As she blinked them away, the features cleared, and she gasped.

Long, brown, curly hair, pulled into a crooked ponytail at the back of his head; brown eyes as deep as the ocean; but, strangely, a soft, shaven face, one without lines or worry.

"Will?" she breathed through the pain, squinting to identify him.

The man's face lit up with the happiness of recognition, but his eyes glistened with the tears for his loved one's pain. "Elizabeth." he whispered, bringing his hand to her face and gently tracing the contours of features he knew so well.

She shivered involuntarily at his touch. Will... It had been so long, so long since she had seen his shining eyes and felt his soft touch. She felt an insatiable urge to leap up and kiss those warm lips, melt into his embrace and just be held in the arms of her Will again.

The moment was broken, though, when she shifted slightly, and her arm cracked horribly once more. She screamed, and Will's face took on a look of worry.

"Your arm... it's broken, isn't it?"

She nodded, afraid that if she opened her mouth once more, she would just keep on screaming.

"Jack, come here." beckoned Will, and for the first time, Elizabeth noticed the haggard and dishevelled pirate standing not two feet away.

"Jack..." she whispered, as he smiled at her, but she could still see worry in his eyes.

"Don't worry, 'Lizzie, we'll get you out of here."

Will looked over to Jack, and the pirate centred his attention onto him. "Jack, you and...him," Will stated, pointing over to Bill, "Go ahead and see if the way is clear. I'll follow with Elizabeth."

Jack nodded, and looked over to Bill, whom Jack had already recognised as his old friend, Bootstrap Bill. Will, on the other hand, was too preoccupied with Elizabeth's injury to notice that the man next to Jack looked eerily like himself.

The two pirates left the room, as Will removed his shirt and wrapped it gently around Elizabeth's arm. She lay unmoving on the ground, still crying softly to herself, and not entirely of pain either. She cried for her little girl, her darling that she hadn't been able to save.

Will asked her something then, but her head was spinning so much that she couldn't understand him. She felt next two arms wrap around her, and gently lift her up into the air. Will held her to his chest, and she rested her pounding head against his warm chest, hoping that that might stop the drums from beating so loudly.

"Tell them to stop." she slurred lightly, her tongue feeling heavy in her mouth.

Will looked down to the woman in his arms and was instantly hit by how vulnerable she looked. 'What?" he asked slightly.

"The drums are too loud. Tell them to stop." Elizabeth whispered, as her eyelids drifted closed and unconsciousness welcomed her with open arms.

He led them back through the cave slowly, careful not to jostle Elizabeth's broken limb. Will walked for several moments in complete silence and almost near dark, when he heard a strange rumbling from ahead of him, and the odd sensation that the ground was moving beneath his feet.

He looked down past Elizabeth and noticed that the ground _was_ moving beneath his feet. Risking further injury to Elizabeth, but in fear of their lives, he tightened his grip of her and started to run through the tunnels, hoping to catch up to Jack and the other man. 

Finally he spotted two figures ahead, both trying in vain to remove a landslide of rocks in from the entrance from which they had come. He gently placed Elizabeth down, and went over to the two men.

"What happened?!" he exclaimed.

Jack, in a gesture that looked more like one of his monkey namesake's, scratched his head curiously. "Now, I don't 'member that happenin' the last time I was here..." he muttered.

"Well, isn't there another way out?" Will asked with impatience.

"Just the way we came in." replied the other man softly. 

It was then that it finally registered with Will. This other man looked like him, to the point of even having the same hairstyle.

"Who _are _you?" Will asked suspiciously.

The man took off his hat, which had until then casted a shadow over most of his features. In a move quite like that of Elizabeth's reaction, Will gasped.

"Father...?" he whispered.

"Yes." said William Turner, smiling at his son. "It's me."

Unfortunately, it was then that the impromptu family reunion ended. The ground started to shake more and more violently, as rocks were shaken loose and started to tumble from the ceiling and the walls. Will hastily picked up Elizabeth, afraid that she might be hit with one of the falling stones.

"We've got to get out of here, Jack!" Will exclaimed, dodging one of the falling stalactites.

"Right, right." responded the pirate, still scratching his head. "This way!"

The nefarious sea captain pointed forwards, and the group ran off, Jack in front, Will in the middle with Elizabeth, and Bill in the back. The rocks became more and more dangerous, as the rumbling had escalated to full-scale shaking. 

"Hurry!" yelled Jack to the others, "This cave is goin' to collapse."

Huge sections of the cavern's walls began to fall now, dust and rock rising up into the air. Will felt his lungs fill up the stuff, and he struggled to breathe. Violent coughs threatened to escape, so he just ran faster, hoping to the escape the cave alive.

It may have been the fact that Will was running as fast as he could, or that he was too preoccupied with Elizabeth's safety, but the fact was that Will was not paying very much attention to the environment around him. In fact, he was so focused on getting Elizabeth and himself out that he either did not see, or just not register in his mind the falling piece of debris just ahead of him. When he finally did realize that it was to hit him, it was too late. Panic ran through the normally calm and collected pirate and he froze.

Something hit him then, but not from above. The slamming force of one hundred and ninety pounds of human flesh and bone hit Will, knocking him and Elizabeth to the side, the debris falling to the ground not a foot behind them.

Jack turned around, and ran towards the fallen man and the woman still clutched tight in his arms. 

"Will!" he called out, running forwards to the young man, even as the cave continued to fall around them.

"I'm alright." responded Will, who had received several bumps and bruises, and a deep gash across his forehead. "But... who pushed me?" asked the young man, his face taught with confusion.

Both men realized the answer at the same moment. Jack yelled out an anguished cry of "Bill!", and they looked over to the pile of rocks on the ground. With horror, they noticed Will's father trapped partially within, legs crushed beneath the heap of metamorphic stone.

Will rushed over to his father, who was white with the dust of the rocks and coughing to breathe. He grabbed his father's only free hand, and held it to him. The elder Turner looked up, and tried in vain to smile.

Will could feel the tears tugging at his eyes, and he wanted to stay, but he knew that Elizabeth had to get before the cave collapsed. His daughter, their daughter, needed her mother.

"Jack! Get Elizabeth out of here!" Will yelled over the noise of the collapsing cave. The other pirate nodded, and swept the young woman up into his arms, and ran off.

He felt his father's grip slipping, so he took his hand and held it between both of his. The tears started to fall swiftly, now, as he knew that there was no hope for his father.

"Will, m'boy." mumbled the dying man. "I- I wanted you to know that I love you, and will always love you. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you and your mum." The older man's eyes were wet as well, and Will stifled a sob. 

"I love you too, father. And it's alright."

The rocks continued to fall around them, as William Turner the Ist took his last breath. His son stubbornly stayed by his side, determined to stay with his father as long as he lived. 

Then the hand held in Will's own went slack, and Will knew that his father was gone. 

*Alright. TWO more chapters left, everyone. (I changed my mind!)

I'm sorry that I got this chapter out so late; I wasn't anticipating the load of homework that I got on my first week back.

I personally don't like this chapter that much, but it demanded to be written, so written it was. Hope you liked it, anyways.

Well, that's about it for now! See you all in the next chapter! 

~Aelan*

P.S: I have now officially seen PoTC seven times! Am I insane or what?


	14. Epilogue

In a warm, sunny hospital room, Elizabeth's Swann's eyes fluttered upon. Groggily, he took in her surroundings, recognized the familiar features of Port Royal's own medical offices. She sat up stiffly, noticing with pain that her muscles were, in fact, VERY sore. Her right arm was wrapped up, and a cloth sling held it in place against her chest.

She had barely enough time to look around once more when a small figure bounded into the room and jumped onto the bed, wrapping its arms around Elizabeth's neck and narrowly missing the broken arm.

"Mother!" cried Willow, still clinging to Elizabeth's neck. "You're awake!"

The girl's mother gently pried her daughter's hands off from around her neck, and looked warmly into the familiar eyes of her beautiful daughter. The young girl looked none the worse for wear, and was as happy as ever. All the memories of the past few days came rushing back now, and Elizabeth realized that her daughter should be dead.

Tears of joy sprang to Elizabeth's eyes as she realized what was happening. "Willow... you're alive?" she choked out, now reaching forwards and practically crushing her daughter against her. "H-how? I'm not dreaming, am I?"

It was Willow's turn now to pry herself out of her mother's arms. She smiled at her sobbing mother, who, contrary to the tears, was smiling the biggest grin that Willow had ever seen.

"It was father. He saved me from the water." replied Willow simply, in the way that only a child could.

Elizabeth suppressed a gasp. Will. His face danced in her head, as it had in her recent, half-conscious dreams, and she realized that he had been the one that had saved her from that cave. She had thought it all a dream, a figment of her imagination conjured up in her time of pain.

Her Will had come to save her.

And just like out of one of her dreams, her husband walked in, clean-shaven and locks of brown hair down from their usual ponytail. She had forgotten how truly handsome he was.

Willow smiled at her father, and it finally all clicked into place for Elizabeth. Her Willow and her Will had finally met. Now they could be a family... if Will wished it to be so.

"Elizabeth." he said, but it sounded so good to her. So magical, so loving, so.. sensuous.

Willow smiled once more at her parents, and left the room silently, unnoticed, as Will and Elizabeth just stared at each other for what seemed an eternity, just lost in each other's eyes. Finally, one of them broke their connection, thought neither knew who. 

Elizabeth looked down at her left hand, the one that wasn't in a sling. "So, where's Jack and William? Did they make it out okay?"

Will looked down the floor, and Elizabeth could have sworn she saw moisture glittering in the corner of his eyes. "Jack... Jack made it out fine, he was the one that got you out safely. William, my father..." he broke off there, and Elizabeth knew.

"Oh, Will." she breathed. "I'm so sorry." She reached up and touched his shoulder softly, as he raised his focus back up and they found themselves looking back into each other's eyes. 

"And-and how did we get off of the island?" she asked softly, still gazing into those deep brown eyes.

Will shifted his focus abruptly, turning back to his favourite spot on the floor. "Jack and I fought them off, and after Barbossa was dead, the rest of them scattered. Anamaria got a rowboat out to us, we brought you back to Port Royal, and here we are now."

An awkward silence follow, one that seemed to span an eternity, before Will spoke.

"Elizabeth, I..." he broke off abruptly, and cleared his throat. " I wanted to ask you, why didn't you tell me about Willow? I... I would've cared for her, y'know. I just don't understand why you left." At his own words, a single tear slipped down his cheek, and Elizabeth's heart broke for the second time in ten years.

Her tears joined his and she struggled to speak. "You-you were meant for the sea, Will, and I didn't want to be the one that kept you from it. I saw the longing in your eyes, and I knew that you wouldn't be fulfilled without it. And I'm sorry for keeping Willow from you, but I know that it was the best thing and I-"

Her babbling was cut off by a hand laid across her mouth. Her eyes, without realized it, had drifted down to the same place that Will's had gone, and she looked up only to stare right into those familiar brown eyes.

"Elizabeth..." he whispered, his voice as soft the wind, "I-I still love you."

His hand dropped down to his side, and his estranged wife could only look forwards with shock. Uncomfortable, he got up swiftly and took long strides towards the door. His hand was on the knob when he heard her whisper behind him:

"I still love you too."

The next thing he knew his lips were pressed against hers in a long-overdue kiss, and he held her to her for the first time in what seemed a millennia, and he knew that everything would be alright.

*____________________________________*

Willow Jaclyn Turner ran down the beach, giggling as she went. "Watch me!" the twelve year-old exclaimed, as she danced in the sand, twirling as she went.

Will and Elizabeth, waling hand in hand, smiled as they watched their daughter. They looked to each other, their eyes met, and the felt the tingle that was ever-present when their gazes held each other.

The moment was broken when they heard a small voice cry out. "Wait fo' me, Wiwow!" 

Elizabeth grinned even wider as she watched her two year-old son move his small legs as fast as he could to catch up to his sister.

"Willow! Wait for James!" Will called out, as his daughter turned and swooped up her little brother, twirling him in the air, much to his delight.

The small boy, James William Turner, was named for both James Norrington and the pseudonym that William Turner had been known under. Both her and Will had decided that William the Third would be pushing it.

"Come on now, children, we have to head on home. Uncle Jack is coming to visit!" said Elizabeth, eliciting squeals of joy from her James and Willow.

"Unka Jack! Unka Jack!" exclaimed James as he ran back towards his mother. Elizabeth scooped him up into her arms and tickled him lightly. He giggled with laughter even as he tried not to smile.

"No tickles, Mama, no tickles!"

Willow, meanwhile, had joined hands with her father, and they both smiled at the antics of mother and son.

"Now, come on Mother, we have to go!" grinned Willow.

"I know, I know." replied Elizabeth, settling James into her left arm, and joined hands with Will with her right one.

The family of four started their walk back to their home, in the bustling town of Port Royal, and as Elizabeth stole one last glance at Will, she knew that everything was alright. 

THE GLORIOUS END

*Well, that is in fact the end of Willow. I had said that there would be TWO final chapters, but in fact complied the two together to make one UBER chapter.

Anywho, I thank EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO HAS EVERY REVIEWED THIS STORY, I WOULD HAVE NEVER MADE IT THIS FAR WITHOUT YOU!!!!!!!

I have an idea for another PoTC story (if you guys can handle that), but I don't know if I'm going to write it or not.

Anywho, I hope that everyone liked this story,and hopefully I'll see you in the next one!

Sincerly,

~Aelan Turner*


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